Syphilis rates in the United States in 2023, by race/ethnicity and gender

Rates of syphilis in the United States are higher among men than women. This is true for every race and ethnicity, although the difference varies greatly. For example, among the Black population, there were around 62.3 cases of syphilis among men per 100,000 population in 2023 and only 18.8 cases per 100,000 population among women. On the other hand, rates of syphilis among American Indians/Alaska Natives were similarly high for both men and women with rates of 63.6 and 52.9 per 100,000 population, respectively. 

What is syphilis?

Syphilis is a common and treatable sexually transmitted disease (STD). Anyone who is sexually active can contract syphilis, however men who have sex with only men accounted for slightly more cases than other groups in 2022. There are four stages of syphilis, and each stage has different signs and symptoms. The stages are primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary. Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics.

How many people get syphilis each year?

In 2022, there were around 207,255 cases of syphilis in the United States. This was the highest number of cases recorded since the 1950s. In comparison, in the year 2000, there were only around 31,618 cases. Like chlamydia and gonorrhea, rates of syphilis in the United States have increased over the past couple decades reaching 62 per 100,000 population in 2022. However, this rate is still far below the rate of 146 cases per 100,000 population recorded in 1950. Rates of syphilis in the U.S. are highest among people in their twenties and early thirties.